


From This Moment On

by thegirlfromwonderland



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Awkwardness, Babysitting, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Season/Series 02, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-15 08:30:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15409026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirlfromwonderland/pseuds/thegirlfromwonderland
Summary: The universe had the worst timing ever. Or a weird sense of humor. Either way it was now official: the world loved to test Felicity Smoak. This weekend had the potential to become the best or worst three days of her entire year.~.~.~Or, the time when Oliver and Felicity got to babysit a toddler for a weekend.





	From This Moment On

**Author's Note:**

> Set in season 2 -ish, before Moira's death.
> 
> Enjoy!

Felicity had no idea how exactly they ended up in this situation.

She had been surprised enough to meet one of the few friends she had at MIT at the local grocery store - if that's what a two girls occasionly sitting at her room in silence could be called - but the real shock was to see the said friend with a toddler in her arms.

She was pretty sure her name was Shirley. Or Cynthia.

After that flirty comment the woman made about Oliver, who just happened to be accompanying her today, she had decided that she would continue trying to avoid her _friend_ in the future too. Not that she cared that women were hitting on him. Nuh-uh. She was totally cool with it. Even when their comments were incredibly objectifying and included the words "hunky man candy" and "hot piece of meat". Even more so when they came from someone she used to call a friend.

The fact that she apparently was a single mother didn't help either.

Oliver felt self-conscious under her piercing gaze, she could tell. The way his arms were crossed in front of him and the tight smile on his face for the sake of politeness gave him away immediately. But of course Shirley didn't notice this. No one really ever did.

But that was not the point. The point was, somehow Felicity had ended up with Shirley's baby girl in _her_ arms as the other woman had answered her phone, hurriedly told them about some accident and left.

She didn't even know the child's name.

"Uh, Felicity?", Oliver's voice brought her back to reality, and she glanced up only to see him watching her with a shocked expression, which could only mirror the look on her own face.

"What?"

"I don't think you're supposed to hold her like that."

Felicity looked back down at the little mess of dark brown hair laying awkwardly on her arms. "What's wrong with the way I'm holding her?", she frowned and blowed a strand of hair away from her face.

Oliver reached out and gently pushed the girl closer to her body. "You're holding her like a bomb."

She felt her cheeks heat up at his comment. "Well, it's not like I have much experience with babies. Or explosives for that matter."

"Technically, she's not a baby anymore."

"Technically, you're stronger than me so you hold her, Mr. I-know-how-to-hold-babies-right." she murmured and passed her to him.

Oliver took the girl like his second nature was babysitting and not shooting arrows, balancing her on his hip so smoothly she would've thought it was his child right now if she didn't know him. She felt her eyes widen at the sight.

"Since when did _you_ become a baby expert?" she exclaimed and didn't even try to hide how impressed she was. "There weren't any babies on the island you haven't told me about, right? Because that's something worth mentioning."

"She's at least three," Oliver bounced her up and down experimentally, "Not a baby. And I have a little sister, Felicity."

"Who was three like 15 years ago." Felicity snorted.

"It's like riding a bike." Oliver gave a half shrug like it wasn't a big deal. Which it was. _A huge._

"Right."

"I have a bike"

Both of their eyes snapped down at the girl, who was biting her nails with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

"She talks?", Felicity raised her eyebrows.

"At least three, Felicity."

"Hey," she pointed a finger up at him, who was biting his lip to hide his amusement. "Shut up." she tried to say firmly but the words stumbled out of her mouth with a chuckle.

That earned her a full laugh out of Oliver, and involuntarily her chest felt a bit warmer.

"You have a bike?" Oliver ducked his head to look at the girl in the eyes, his tone so much softer than before and she tried really hard not to smile like an idiot next to them. Seeing Oliver like this was so rare and... _sweet._

"Yes." the girl nodded enthusiastically, fisting a bunch of Oliver's shirt in her tiny palm. The whole girl looked so tiny cradled against his wide chest.

"What kind?", Felicity asked next, feeling the need to say something so the girl wouldn't think she didn't like her or something.

When Oliver shot her a pointed look, she realized just how pointless it was for her to ask that question. What three-year-old really knew what kind of bike they had? Exactly.

"I dunno", she shrugged and turned in Oliver's arms to lay her head on his shoulder and yawned, which was - again - ten different kinds of adorable.

Felicity wasn't a baby person. She never were, and she still wouldn't call herself one, but something about Oliver with a baby did things to her. Not that she'd ever admit that. She would just have to find a way to survive this impromptu babysitting duty without completely embarassing herself. Or worse.

"Did you just wake up from a nap?" Oliver mumbled quietly in her ear and the girl nodded sleepily.

"You can just, like-" she brushed her palms together, "give her to me and I'll watch her until Shirley comes back from her emergency."

Oliver turned his head to her then. "You're saying you'll handle this on your own?"

"Sure," she gave a dismissive wave of her hand, "I mean, it's just a kid. How hard one kid could be? What could possibly go wrong?"

"Famous last words.." he shifted from one foot to another and improved the girl's position on his hip.

"You don't think I can do it." she narrowed her eyes.

"I didn't say that."

"You meant it."

"I did not."

"Well, you thought about it."

"You don't know that."

"You know what?" she reached for the baby and mimicked the way Oliver had been holding her. "I don't care what you think. Shirley trusted me enough to leave her child with me, to take care of her daughter, so that's exactly what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna go home, and... And I'm going to..."

Oliver just nodded and took the girl back into his arms. She didn't fight him.

The universe had the worst timing ever. Or a weird sense of humor. Either way it was now official: the world loved to test Felicity Smoak. This weekend had the potential to become the best or worst three days of her entire year.

* * *

  
They drove towards her apartment with enough food for three for the whole weekend, just in case. Shirley didn't exactly tell her how long they were supposed to take care of the little girl, but they were prepared. Thankfully Oliver had been with her in the grocery store, because she wouldn't have any idea what toddlers ate. If it was up to her, she would've bought some carrot puree. What's the difference, right?

"What's your name?" Oliver leaned closer to the two of them hands still on the steering wheel, flashing a smile at the girl sitting on her lap because naturally, they didn't have a car seat.

"Maddie."  
"Well, hello Maddie," Oliver shook her little hand, making her giggle and hide against Felicity's neck. Apparently Oliver had similar effect on Maddie as he did on her. "I'm Oliver. And she is Felicity."

Felicity mentally kicked herself for not asking her name sooner. The whole situation must already be terrifying enough for the girl, since they were basically strangers to each other and her mother left her without so much as a goodbye, even though she seemed quite satisfied. Also, it had started to feel awkward to call her Shirley's daughter or just a girl instead of a name.

"Oliver and Fe-li-ci-ty", Maddie repeated, stumbling over every syllable.

"You have such a long, pretty hair." Oliver praised her, making the girl blush and Felicity was once again taken aback how easily Oliver-the-vigilante could fall into this new role. Better than her, for sure. And that was the most surprising thing. Oliver said she was the bright and shiny one. Shouldn't she be the one to get along with the girl?

And apparently a good way to approach a child was to admire them. Felicity made a mental note about that.

"You have pretty hair, too." Maddie giggled.

"Why, thank you" Oliver laughed.

How was he so carefree, she didn't know. Something about the little girl just brought out a side of him she had never seen before but she liked this Oliver and wasn't going to complain.

"Yeah, it's so brown!" Felicity said just for the sake of saying something and immediately regretted opening her mouth at all when Oliver glanced at her.

When they reached the apartment, she went ahead to open the door while Oliver and Maddie carried the groceries inside. Of course Maddie wasn't strong enough to actually help much but Oliver let her take the toilet paper. The sight of her trying to hold the package above her head while staying upright was hilarious.

"Thank you, Maddie." Oliver took the paper from her hands and the little girl jumped up and down excitedly. "Are you hungry?"

Right. Food. 

"No." she shook her head and crossed her arms.

"But you need to eat." he mimicked her posture with an amused smile.

Felicity laughed and glanced at the clock. The afternoon was quickly turning into night, so maybe a little dinner wouldn't hurt anyone. 

"I'm hungry", she clapped her hands together, "So, I will order-"

"No, I'll cook." Oliver said.

_He can cook?_

"Mommy cooks." Maddie exclaimed.

"Well, mommy's not here, right? So you'll have to do with my cooking." Oliver replied as he started to gather their groceries into the kitchen. 

"Since when do you cook?" she wondered out loud and followed him. 

Oliver shrugged. "The island taught me some useful skills. Cooking among them." he said before pausing for a second, adding quietly, "Although it was either cooked or uncooked over there."

Felicity nodded silently. Oliver never spoke about the island, and that was a lot more than he had revealed to her the whole month. It wasn't much but she'd take it. She would've never thought him to be the cooking type, though.

"Then try to aim for the cooked, would you?" she grinned and placed her palm over his chest before she even knew what she was doing. For a moment they both froze.

Oliver stopped on his way to the fridge with a bag of tomatoes in hand, eyes snapping down on her hand with an unreadable expression on his face. Felicity became painfully aware just how close to him she was when her leg accidentally brushed against his, and she could feel his slightly shuddering exhale on her face. 

She tried really hard to ignore how domestic and natural it felt.

But his reaction could also be discomfort because he was touch sensitive, since he still was Oliver with all the trauma and stuff. So she really should move her hand. Like now. And not just stare up at him like a deer in the headlights. Earth to Felicity. Move the hand.

"Oliver?" Maddie's voice called out somewhere from the living room and the moment was over.

Felicity cleared her throat and glanced down at her feet, before grabbing the tomatoes from his hands and almost running to the fridge with probably as red cheeks as the vegetables.

"Yes?" he replied sounding completely unaffected. Unfair.

"Where's Annie-Panny?" the girl sprinted to the kitchen with tearful eyes, her lower lip trembling slightly.

"Hey," Oliver said in a so, so soft voice and bent down on her level, "Who's that?"

"Annie-Panny!" Maddie shrieked, making her almost flinch, before Oliver could pick her up.

"I can't help you if you won't talk to me, Maddie." he said calmly as she hiccuped and gripped his shirt. For a moment Felicity actually doubted she was getting enough air. 

"My doll", she whimpered quietly and she smiled sadly at the girl.

"I used to have this stuffed bunny when I was five." she said, feeling Oliver's eyes on her. "Her name was Pandy because I though she looked like a panda rather than a rabbit. I don't know how that's even possible but that's not the point. One time when I was in a motel with my mom, she forgot to pack Pandy in the suitcase. You know how I reacted when I couldn't find her?"

Maddie wiped her nose and turned her head to look at her curiously.

"The same way as you are right now. But do you know what my mom told me?"

"What?" she said in a small voice.

"She told me that feeling this way was okay." she hesitated only for a moment before reaching out to brush her fingers through Maddie's thick curls. "Everyone has things they want to keep with them, that remind them of home when they're away. Sometimes people miss those things because they make them feel safe. But they don't have to feel that way, because home is not going anywhere, and those things are waiting for them at home."

"And Annie-Panny?"

"She isn't going anywhere either." she assured with a smile. "Now, would you help Oliver cook us some dinner, and we could maybe get some ice cream for dessert?"

"Strawberry?" Maddie's eyes lit up.

"Sure."

"Okay!" she wiggled herself free from Oliver's grip and ran to the fridge.

Distraction. Babysitting rule number one. 

"Don't run inside, please, Maddie? The floor is pretty slippery. I don't want you falling over," she called after her before turning around and mumbling under her breath, "and splitting your head open or something. Shirley would never forgive me."

Oliver was silently staring at her with an impressed expression, and she couldn't help feeling smug. For once it was her who handled a tough situation. "Well, dinner?", she raised an eyebrow.

He shook his head but walked over to the stove anyway. 

After the delicious meal Oliver had prepared for them, they gathered around her small coffee table to play some old memory game of hers. She and Oliver were sitting on the couch while Maddie stood on the opposite side of the table. As lively child as she was, she jumped up and down and didn't stay in one position longer than a minute.

Apart from Maddie's quiet humming and the slight clatter the cards made against the wooden table, the room was painfully quiet. She had to bit her tongue to keep herself from filling the silence with pointless babble. That would be bad. The heavy, awkward silence was something she and Oliver didn't experience often, but when they did it was really awkward. Like I-wish-ground-would-swallow-me awkward.

She wondered if the incident in the kitchen earlier had anything to do with that. 

"I don't wanna play anymore" Maddie eventually sighed and pushed the game away, already searching for something else to do. Felicity let out a sigh of relief, earning a strange look from Oliver. 

Her small apartment wasn't invented for kids. It didn't have enough stimulus for an energetic three-year-old. She didn't doubt Maddie could very well entertain herself but these walls weren't the thickest and Felicity could already tell her ideas of fun didn't include sitting quietly in the living room. 

Oliver seemed to come into the same conclusion, as he stood up and went to the window. "What do you say if we went out for a while? It's still bright."

"Yes!" Maddie let out a whoop of joy.

"We could go to that park nearby." Felicity proposed and got up herself, sweeping down her dress where it had rolled up. "I think it even has a swing set and all."

"And slides?"

"Probaby slides too."

"And carousels?"

Felicity bit her lip and looked down at the girl vibrating with energy. "Why don't you fo find your shoes and we'll go find out?"

"I need to pee."

"I don't have a potty or anything," Felicity cringed.

Oliver walked back at the girls and looked down at Maddie, a sudden uncertainty showing on his face as he rolled his lips inside his mouth. "We'll just have to manage. Where did you put the diapers?"

"Diapers", she repeated aloud, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Yes, diapers. I asked you to get some when you left to take the napkins in the store."

She covered her face with a hand. "I think I might have forgotten them."

"Okay, well.." Oliver took a breath, "I guess we can buy them before we head back from the park."

Of course she forgot something. There had been this nagging feeling in her gut when they'd left the store but at the time she couldn't quite wrap her finger around it. It was the damn _diapers._

For a moment they both just stood next to each other and watched Maddie, who was inspecting something she found on the floor.

"Are you good to take her or..." Oliver trailed off.

"Oh, yeah. Sure."

* * *

  
"So..." Oliver turned to look at her with a smirk as they walked side by side, "How do you know- What was her name, again?"

"Shirley. Or Cynthia. I can't remember." she blushed and looked down, feeling self-conscious under his gaze. "We used to hack into federal agencies together."

When Oliver laughed, she raised her eyes to look at him and involuntarily the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile. It was good to see him laugh. Happiness was something she had yet to see on his face, well it was until now. He truly looked genuinely in peace. He wasn't glancing around them constantly, guarded, neither was his forefinger and thumb rubbing together in that nervous habit of his. His shoulders were loose and he laughed. Oliver Queen _laughed._

She really liked the sound of it.

"You weren't kidding." Oliver stated when she didn't answer and turned back to glance at Maddie.

Felicity followed his gaze to the big, public playground in front of them, filled with swing sets and slides and jungle gyms and merry-go-rounds, where Maddie had already ran off to play with other little kids. It was kind of amazing how well-behaved and social she was despite her temperament and well, the mother she had. Shirley wasn't evil, it just wouldn't hurt for her to hold certain things inside of her. That was something they unfortunately had in common.

"Were you close?" he asked.

"I don't know." she said quietly, "Not really, I think. She was one of those people who only hung out with you when they wanted something. She used to steal stuff from me, I don't think she even knows I know, but it didn't really matter. It's not like I had much to lose, anyway."

Oliver stole a quick glance at her in concern. "What did she want from you?"

"Knowledge. Skill. Homework assignments." she shrugged. "I was the girl with a 170 IQ, Oliver. There was only a few things girls like her would want from a girl like me. Friendship or company didn't belong in any of those categories."

"So, she took advantage of you?" Oliver asked next, sounding oddly annoyed. Even angry.

"I wouldn't call it that, really. I said yes myself. I couldn't complain."

"You could've said no." he stopped and turned to her fully. "You shouldn't have to do other people's work or do things for them just because you're smart, Felicity."

Her smile faded slowly when she noticed the bothered look on his face. "That's what I do. Being smart is who I am, I don't know what else I'd be in this world if not smart. People ask me to do things, I do them because I can. It's simple. I have my place."

Oliver tensed. "Is that how you feel in the team?" he asked quietly and she could see his jaw was clentched. "I ask you to do things because you're smart? And you say yes so you can't complain?"

"Oliver," she gazed up at her and bit her lower lip, reaching out to place a hand on his forearm. "I know I'm a valuable member of the team and you couldn't do half of the things you're doing without my help. You need me."

"That's not what I asked." he murmured, a frown appearing between his eyebrows. 

Felicity winced and closed her eyes for a second.

"Felicity?", Oliver whispered, causing her to lock eyes with him. He looked pale and upset, sadness clouding his features. "Is that how you feel with me?"

She felt sudden, unnamed emotion clogging her throat and she swallowed thickly. Guilt and regret shone on his face, his eyes begging her for something. Maybe to tell him no, that she saw herself as valuable as he did himself, that she wouldn't say what he though she might. She couldn't handle the way he stared at her, so she looked down. 

"Uh," she kicked the ground, "No. Or I mean, sometimes. I guess."

Oliver prompted her to continue silently.

"I mean, there is Laurel. And Sara. Helena Bertinelli. McKenna Hall. Isabel Rochev." she looked over at Maddie to avoid his piercing blue eyes, "I just- I guess I thought-"

"Hey," he interrupted, tilting her head back up with a finger before gently cupping the side of her face. "You're special to me. Our partnership and your support are special to me. I don't wanna treat you the same way with those women because..." he pressed his lips together.

Her heart fluttered at his soft voice and immediately she felt ridicilous. Of course Oliver cared about her. She wasn't just a brain and a pair of good hands in the team. He really cared about her.

"I know that, I just-" she shook her head and chuckled quietly, "Sometimes I just wonder if this is it, you know? If I'm just these brains that get things done and nothing else. And I'm not suggesting that there should be anything between-"

"I know." he nodded and slowly slid his hand down until it rested on her shoulder, sending goosebumps down her spine. "But don't doubt your place in my life, Felicity. You're special."

She only nodded, not trusting her voice.

He gazed down at her a while longer, gently stroking his hands up and down her arms. It felt nice, since the day had already started to cool down, his rough palms kept her warm. She tried really hard not to read too much into it or how comfortable and safe she felt at that moment. She really tried.

"I'm bored." Maddie's frustrated voice called from somewhere behind her, and Oliver immediately pulled his hands back like a teenager caught holding a girl's hand. She stifled a giggle at the thought.

"We just came." Oliver said.

Maddie sighed dramatically and slumped against a swing, feet dangling in the air. "I wanna do something else."

"She's by far the most bemanding three-year-old I've ever had to babysit." Felicity leaned in a whisper to Oliver, who looked at her with a smile.

"How many three-year-olds have you babysat, again?"

She glared at him. "Well, I recall two down in the foundry just a few nights ago, fighting over a place to train..."

"Very funny."

"But true."

Oliver raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really? How about that time you almost cried because Diggle had eaten the last tub on mint chip from the freezer?"

"I was on my period!", she pointed a finger at him, "You don't get to mock me about that."

Chuckling, they turned their heads back to Maddie, but were met with an empty swing.

"Wh-", she took a step forward, wide eyes darting around the park but not spotting the girl, "Where did she go?"

"What could possibly go wrong, right?" Oliver repeated her earlier words.

She almost opened her mouth to say something she'd regret later, but decided on just a glare at his direction. "Okay, let's not panic." she took in a sharp breath, "I'm sure she's just playing somewhere, completely safe and fine."

"We're not panicking." Oliver nodded.

"With a little bit of searching-", she started to walk determinedly, "-we're going to find her, and neither of us are going to tell Shirley slash Cynthia anything about this little trip. Yeah, we're going home, and to sleep, and Maddie is going to be fine-"

"Felicity,"

She stopped to look in his annoyingly calm, blue eyes. Why was he so calm? Did he like, not care that a child was missing? 

"Oh my god, did I really just lose a kid in a park?" a small laugh escaped her lips and Oliver stared at her with raised eyebrows. "That's what I get for staring at you when I'm supposed to stare at something else. And that sounded like I was admiring your looks, like I was staring at you because you'd be good looking, which is by the way also true but beside my point, which is-"

"Felicity," Oliver interrupted her and took ahold of her shoulders. "The park is fenced. The gate is locked. Maddie can't be far."

"Oh."

"She's probably just with the other kids by the jungle-gym." he gestured somewhere behind her with his eyes.

"Well, let's go see."

Eventually they found the girl from the corner of the playground, throwing a ball with a young boy. His mother - or at least Felicity thought it was his mother - was standing a few feet away from the two, a fond smile on her face as she watched the children play.

"There you are!" Felicity let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding before crouching down to Maddie's level and brushing her hands over the girl's arms. "Don't you ever disappear like that again! You got me worried."

"I was here the whole time." Maddie frowned.

"She really wanted to play with Micah." the woman beside them smiled at Oliver. "She's cute."

"Oh," Oliver shook his head and smiled tightly at the woman. "She's not... Ours. We're just taking care of her for a few days."

"It's so nice when a mother has a trustworthy couple to look after their children." she said dreamily.

Felicity almost choked on nothing and coughed in surprise. Already feeling her face heating up in embarrasment, she quickly got up from the ground and whipped around only to see Oliver grinning at her reaction.

"We're not- I mean he's not my-", she gestured at him, "We're not together. I mean we're together at the moment but not _together_ together. But pointing that out is kind of unnecessary since you can see us with your own eyes, being together here in this park. With that logic we're all together."

The woman's eyebrows shot up so quickly it would've been comical if she wasn't embarrassing herself so badly at the moment.

"What I mean to say," she took a deep breath and glanced at Oliver, who was hiding a smile behind his hand, "I do not have a relationship with him. We're friends but it's not anything romantic or sexual-"

"I think she got that." Oliver finally interrupted her with a laugh he covered as a cough.

"Oh," the woman looked back and forth between them, "You could've fooled me."

"What do you mean?" she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked at Oliver for support, but he had already gone to Maddie.

"I'm just saying," the woman took a step closer, waggling her eyebrows at her, "I've only seen you two for a minute and I can already see the sparkle."

"The sparkle?"

"You know," she chuckled, "The sparkle. The glimmer. Whatever you wanna call it. It's so obvious in the way he looks at you. I recognize it because I have a husband at home who looks at me just like that."

Felicity stared at her for a long time, probably making herself look like complete moron but she had trouble wrapping her mind around what she just said. She could vaguely hear Oliver and Maddie discuss something in the back but her mind replayed her words. Did she seriously just compare her and Oliver to her own _marriage_? Had she hit her head?

"Oliver doesn't see me that way." she said slowly but her heart wasn't in it. 

"Oliver Queen isn't famous for long-term relationships, that's for sure." the woman replied with a shrug. "But I've seen him in the magazines with girls and he hasn't looked at another woman the way he looks at you."

She fidgeted and turned her head to look at Oliver.

"I'm just saying, that's not something you want to let slip between your fingers."

* * *

  
Later when they arrived back to Felicity's apartment, Maddie became oddly quiet. The girl hadn't shut her mouth for one second on their way back but now she was like a different child completely. She went to sit on the couch and began fiddling with Felicity's memory game.

"What's up with her?", Felicity asked Oliver, nervously tugging at her earlobe. "Did we do something to upset her, or..."

"I don't know, maybe you should talk to her?"

"You talk to her." she gently pushed him forward, "You talk little girl way better than I do."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or insult." Oliver snorted. "But maybe she's just homesick?" 

That would make sense. She was only about three years old and being away from home with strangers was tough even for older kids. She used to get homesick all the time. She was pretty sure she still did.

"What can we do about it?"

"Distract her." Oliver gave a half shrug before walking over to Maddie. "Hey, do you want to watch a movie with us before going to bed?"

How did Oliver-with-an-emotional-range-of-a-teaspoon know what was the right thing to do? She considered herself the more capable to discuss feelings and to do something about them, but here they were.

"Okay," Maddie's eyes lit up and Felicity knew he was right. 

"I'm gonna get the snacks", she gestured her thumb towards the kitchen even though neither of them were looking at her. "Oliver, you can open Netflix and pick a movie with Maddie."

She saw as Oliver reached for the remote and almost laughed when it took him some time to find the power button.

"What's you favorite movie, kiddo?" he murmured while browsing through the various categories.

"Tangled!"

When Oliver was quiet, she peeked her head out of the kitchen and saw him biting his lip and trying to write the name in the search bar. "It's the one  with the girl with golden, magic hair", she threw in and Maddie nodded enthusiastically.

He didn't answer, just turned around on the couch to look at her in confusion.

"Flynn Rider?" she tried with raised eyebrows.

Silence.

"Disney?"

"Oh", he let out an awkward chuckle and turned back around to face the tv. 

"You don't know Tangled?" she laughed out loud. 

"Hey, I wasn't around when it was made in-", he paused and squinted to read the tiny description from the tv, "-2010."

"Okay, I'll give you that. But still, you've been back nearly two years. I'm kinda disappointed you still haven't seen it."

All three of them settled on the small couch with some fruity snacks as well as the remaining strawberry ice cream. Felicity wondered if Shirley would have something to say about the fact that they've given her child ice cream two times in one day, but she wasn't going to take it away from the girl since it seemed to make her feel better. And maybe she'll never know.

As the movie started, Maddie dropped down onto the floor and crawled in front of the tv. She was completely immersed in the story right from the opening credits, homesickness long forgotten. She was glad, and a quick glance to Oliver let her know he felt the same. They could tackle that problem later.

Did this count as Netflix and chill?

"So," Oliver frowned and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, "it's like Rapunzel but with a giant head and creepy eyes?"

"No!", both girls exclaimed at the same time, and Oliver raised his hands in surrender.

"But it's almost the same story, and even her name is Rapunzel. Why is the movie called Tangled?"

Felicity cocked her head slightly to the side. "How do you know the story?"

"Thea was seven when the Barbie version came out." he explained with a fond smile on his face, remembering those times in his past. "She forced me to go watch it with her to a movie theater. Worst experience of my life."

"With your experiences I doubt that."

"I was a 17-year-old teenage boy, Felicity. It's up there." he said seriously but the slight twinkle in his eyes gave him away. She laughed, causing Maddie to place a finger to her lips to hush her. Oliver fully grinned at her, and her heart fluttered.

"Oh, I can only imagine how awful that must've been." 

"I'm serious, Felicity. Tommy was so embarrassed of me when the school found out."

She paused at that. Oliver never spoke about Tommy after he died last year. Given the shock on Oliver's face, he realized the same thing. For a moment he looked so _sad_ her chest tightened to the point of pain and oddly she felt the need to comfort him. But as soon as the emotion was out, it disappeared again and Felicity understood he wasn't that emotionless, cold person she sometimes thought he was. He just wanted everyone to think so.

She chose to drop it and gave his shoulder a playful nudge. "I'm sure your legendary playboy reputation didn't take that well."

Oliver smiled at her thankfully. "Laurel didn't talk to me for almost a week."

"At least Thea was happy, right?"

"Yeah," he sighed and looked away. "That's what I've always wanted her to be."

"I know she's having a bit of a tough time right now with Malcolm in town, Roy with mirakuru and Slade, but she's going to be okay." Felicity placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know," he sighed, "I just wish I could do more."

"Yeah." she turned her attention back to the movie. "But she's a grown woman. She'll ask for help if she needs it."

"Hopefully." Oliver murmured, but she could tell there was something else bothering him. She moved just a bit closer and leaned her head on his shoulder in silent comfort. 

"It's just-" he continued quietly, "With Thea knowing Malcolm is her father, Slade telling Laurel about me, my mom basically kicking me out of the house, everything's changing. I'm not sure how to feel about that."

"I get it. All these changes are happening in your family and you have no control over them. It must be hard." she agreed.

"Honestly?" he shifted in his seat uncomfortably, "I'm scared."

She raised her head to look at him in surprise. "Scared of what?"

"I don't know." he focused his eyes on the movie playing in front of them. "I'm scared for Thea, and for my mom. I don't know what Slade's planning.He's a psychopath, Felicity. I have no idea how far he'd go to make me suffer. I'm scared he's going to hurt my family," he sighed, locking eyes with hers, "Including you."

Her breath caught in her throat at the intensity of his gaze but she fought to remain unaffected. She told herself a long time ago she wasn't going to be one of those girls who fell at Oliver Queen's feet, although she knew he wasn't expecting that from her, or from anyone really. He had changed. 

And freaking Oliver Queen definitely didn't think about her like _that_.

"Like what?", he frowned.

"Uh, nothing." she said quickly, whipping her head back to the tv and blushing furiously. Hopefully she hadn't said too much out loud. 

"Do you have magic hair?", Maddie suddenly asked, a pair of bright blue eyes staring up at her expectantly.

"What?" her eyes trained to the movie, where one of the songs was playing. Maddie was quietly singing along adorably.

Wait, babies weren't adorable in her opinion. Nuh-uh.

"You have Rapunzel hair," the girl said as if it was a foregone conclusion and rolled her eyes.

"You're gonna have to explain that sentence." Oliver said slowly as he eyed her hair suspiciously.

"Does your hair have magic powers, too?" Maddie asked.

"Uh, no. My hair is completely ordinary." she chuckled, "Even though it's blonde like Rapunzel's."

"She dyes it." Oliver whispered loudly and Felicity slapped his arm.

She would never admit this, but she was actually enjoying the night. A lot. Oliver laughed and smiled more than she'd seen him do the whole month. The awkwardness from before was long forgotten as well as the awkward incident in the kitchen. Or she hadn't forgotten about either of them but given Oliver's relaxed features, he had. She was okay with it. Totally.

At some point she must've fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew she was being lifted from the couch and even her sleepy mind realized it's Oliver who was carrying her. Freaking Oliver Queen was carrying her in bed like some knight in shining armor. A picture of Oliver in said armor riding a white horse popped in her mind and she almost giggled.

"Go back to sleep." he murmured quietly when he noticed she was awake.

"Maddie?" she yawned, trying to look behind them.

"I've got her."

She closed her eyes with a small smile on her lips. 

Oliver would be a great dad some day. He would always put his children's needs above his own and treat them with respect. He would always show up at their football practice and he'd be the loudest one to cheer when their team won a game. He'd wake up every morning a little earlier to prepare a special school lunch for his daughter and he'd come home as fast as he could to help his son with his homework.

Thinking about the future was dangerous. Not physically, but emotionally. Sometimes those thoughts included her bringing in lunch just to see Oliver during the day or her leaning on the doorframe while Oliver read a bedtime story to their kids. Normally she wouldn't even dream about that future ever becoming the reality because it hurt too much to know her feelings for this man would always be one-sided.

But in her half-asleep slumber she let herself wonder.

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you think?  
> I think this is a three-part story but if you want, I might extend it slightly..(?)  
> And oh, this was supposed to be pure fluff but I couldn't help myself to add a teeny tiny bit of angst here and there XD Anyway, if you want more, please show some love and leave kudos and a comment :)
> 
> (PS. Did you notice the Friends reference?)


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